The Lure of Canadian Vacation Properties

In the last five or so years, I have had a number of close friends purchase property in Canada to be used as their vacation homes. These purchases range from buying an entire island with multiple existing residences to basically purchasing a dock and a shed complete with an outhouse to use for a masterbathroom.

This has lead me to wonder why this new trend? I know that certain things are happening in the economy. Those who are not effected by any downturns in the economy - the wealthy - always have pretty much considered real estate of any kind a safe and sound investment. You read about some of the people who have taken up buying large tracts of land in some of the less populated states like North and South Dakota. But why Canada I wonder?

From New England and the Mid-Atlantic the drive to Canada is not too awful. Same holds true for the states in the upper mid West. That is certainly a plus to many. While the dollar usually fared pretty well against the Canadian dollar, this is no longer the case and they are pretty much on par at this point. The people who I know who have Canadian real estate love it. They often cite how less crowded and congested it is, compared to many of the vacation destinations in the United States - like any of the East Coast beaches, the Poconos, Disney Land/World, etc. In some of the less populated areas, the land is priced much more affordably than it is in the United States. That makes perfect sense to me.